When you first open the app, it asks for your age and your favorite team. EA Sports, the creator of the FIFA franchise, has included teams from leagues from all over the world ranging from England’s Barclays Premier League to South Korea’s K-League. Choose wisely on your favorite team, as your starting squad will include a player from your chosen team. The game then brings you to a tutorial match, where you can experience the gameplay for the first time. I couldn’t believe that graphics that appeared on the screen. The movement of the players seemed more realistic than ever. On previous mobile editions of FIFA, players would run in straight lines and make unrealistic 90 degree turns. Not anymore. Players now have the ability to shuffle sideways and backpedal when commanded. The game retains the virtual buttons and joystick of the previous mobile editions of FIFA, and should be familiar to users of the past editions.

 

There is a smart trick to get players for a cheaper price. Almost every item on the transfer market has a window of one hour. When searching for the player you want scroll to the 50th/59th minute of the transfer window. The items you see are fresh on the transfer market. Often there are people selling players for less money. Apparently not everybody knows how much some players are worth. Why are the mini-games so important this year? In career mode, it's the way you develop your players. In FIFA 16, you can take a hands-on approach to improving the skills and attributes of players on your club. You do this by completing the same mini-games that you do before matches begin.

 

Say for instance you have a club that has a dynamic 30-year-old striker who plays the majority of the minutes, but you also have a 19-year-old with good base skills who's not quite ready for the big time. FUT Draft is a brand new way to play FIFA Ultimate Team. This new mode will test your team building skills as you pick the best fit for each position from a five-player draw. Draft a squad and challenge opponents in a series of up to four matches to win big rewards for your club that could include coins or rare players. Start your FUT Draft by choosing between five different formations. Choose wisely: the formation you pick will remain as your default formation throughout the series of matches. The higher the difficulty, and the more matches you win, the better the pack at the end. A win on semi-pro could earn you a gold pack and two silvers.

 

You need to pick the right player to press and it’s crucial that you maintain your defensive game even when there isn’t any immediate pressure. By pushing up the field using your (L1/LB) ‘switch player’ you can then move him to mark your opponents key ball players. It’s important to defend from the front and consistently move your strikers and midfielders so that they’re behind the passage of play. For instance, your striker can drop deep and mark one of the other team’s creative midfielder’s and the more players you have behind the ball, the more likely it is that you will retrieve.

 

The game spends a lot of time getting right and improving upon its predecessor, and it does so admirably with some nice features, with the noted additions to the career, more advanced player training and an even more refined ‘Ultimate Team’ section, which has been the heart of the franchise for many players the past few years, and understandably so. The added Draft tool makes Ultimate Team a lot more accessible, which makes working with player relations a lot easier for inexperienced players, which speeds up the pace of the game and makes for a more enjoyable experience.

 

Calling FIFA 16 a bad game would be an unfair remark, as the game is incredibly fun and well-made, but it’s simply very safe in nature, which will be very noticeable for returning players, where the game offers a slightly less exciting rendition compared to last year’s stellar release. None the less, FIFA 16 is still a very solid title, albeit a bit Messi (horrible pun intended.)